Abstract
Background Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) poses a significant global health burden, necessitating a deeper understanding of its microvascular manifestations. Nailfold capillaroscopy has emerged as a valuable tool in elucidating microvascular changes in various systemic conditions, yet its application in CKD remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the patterns of nailfold capillaroscopy changes in CKD patients across different stages and explore potential correlations with disease severity and etiology. Methods A cross-sectional case-control study will be conducted, enrolling 120 CKD patients (stage 1-5) and 60 controls without renal disease. Nailfold capillaroscopy will be performed using DINOLITE AM4113ZT, and microvascular changes will be analyzed through the MDAD approach. Demographic details, clinical histories, renal function tests, imaging findings, and additional relevant parameters will be collected. Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests, student t-tests, and correlation analyses, will be conducted using SPSS 27.0 and GraphPad Prism 7.0. Expected Outcome It is anticipated that nailfold capillaroscopy will reveal distinct microvascular changes in CKD patients compared to the control group. Correlation analyses with renal function parameters may unveil microvascular alterations and disease severity associations. The study’s findings hold the potential to enhance diagnostic and prognostic strategies in CKD, providing valuable insights into the vascular aspects of the disease and contributing to the broader understanding of microvascular changes in systemic conditions.